There are many business oriented computer applications providing the user with the ability to modify parts of the UI of the application for better visibility and/or functionality. The user is given the option to show and hide elements, change the location of UI elements on the screen, rename some text elements, add custom fields, etc. When the computer application is updated due to an upgrade, the user adaptations to the old version are lost and the user/partner is forced to apply his customizations again with every release of the computer application.
There is a need for improved methods and systems that allow lifecycle stable UI adaptations. Thus the user is not forced to react on updates of the computer application and is able to utilize the computer application undisturbed from any new releases. The only acceptable change from the user's point of view is minor repositioning of the change, as long as it preserves the semantics derived from the surrounding context. For example, in a business environment, if a user adds a custom field “distance” in the screen area “supplier”, after an upgrade the field “distance” must again be placed in the section “supplier” and not in an area “bill-to-party” or a generic area “lost-and-found”, where the semantics of the field cannot be preserved. The semantic should be preserved, even if the section is moved to a new UI screen.